Showpo’s Jane Lu launches the Future Female Founders Program to give young women entrepreneurial spirit

Showpo founder Jane Lu knows what it’s like to ride the rollercoaster of startup life better than most.

The only child to Chinese-Australian parents, she was living up to their expectations with an accounting career at the Big 4 consultancy firms. But it wasn’t her cup of tea, so Lu left to launch her first venture without telling them, and when it blew up, she still got dressed and pretended to go to work as an accountant every day.

Lu, $60,000 in debt, then launched the fashion e-tailer Showpo (as Show Pony) in 2010. Within 15 months Showpo hit $1 million in revenue. After five years, Lu was named Entrepreneur of the Year, going on to feature on the Forbes Asia “30 under 30” and the AFR’s Young Rich List. Showpo’s revenue now exceeds $100 million annually.

Buying her parents a new car and paying off their mortgage certainly helped them get over the shock of her entrepreneurial spirit.

The last few years the ShowPo founder and CEO’s turned investor as one of the sharks on Shark Tank Australia. She always been passionate about finding untapped talent with innovative ideas, and the Shark tank experience has reminded her that there’s plenty more out there waiting to be discovered.

So Lu has decided to do something about it, launching the Future Female Founders Program. She created the not-for-profit educational campaign to support female students with the potential to follow in the ShowPo CEO’s footsteps as part of the next generation entrepreneurial wave.

Lu says she already has several unis on board, including Central Queensland University, the University of Adelaide, and the University of Victoria, for budding female founders to think about taking their shot.

She’ll mentor those young women selected personally, offering $5000 towards a business idea as well as learning on the job at Showpo’s Sydney HQ with the retail giant’s leadership team.

“This isn’t just a program – it’s a launchpad. The Future Female Founders Program is here to empower young women to dream bigger, build smarter, and back themselves,” Lu said.

“This initiative is about more than funding – it’s about creating access, opportunity, and confidence for aspiring young women to lead the next wave of entrepreneurs here in Australia and beyond.”